Researchers at CEA/CNRS/Université Paris Saclay, University College London and ETH Zurich have recently devised a new method to control the temperature of a spin ensemble by increasing electron spin polarization above its thermal equilibrium value. Their research, featured in Nature Physics, builds on a study they conducted back in 2016.

Physicists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Ames Laboratory have successfully performed measurements of an iron-based superconductor in an important but difficult-to-reach regime where critical quantum fluctuations dominate the physics. Using a new sensing technique, they accurately mapped quantum phase transition—a phenomenon that is theorized to be closely coupled to superconductivity—deep inside the superconducting state.

Light detection and ranging (LiDAR) comprises an array of techniques using laser light to measure distances by multiplying the time delay between transmitted and received optical signals with the speed of light. Modern 3-D LiDAR sensors combine high lateral/vertical and radial resolution, and are key components in the ongoing evolution of level 4 and 5 self-driving cars.

As our smartphones, laptops, and computers get smaller and faster, so do the transistors inside them that control the flow of electricity and store information. But traditional transistors can only shrink so much. Now, researchers at Stevens Institute of Technology have developed a new atomically thin magnetic semiconductor that will allow the development of new transistors that work in a completely different way; they not only can harness an electron's charge but also the power of its spin, providing an alternative path to creating ever smaller and faster electronics.

As the COVID-19 outbreak took hold in Italy, researchers working on a nuclear physics experiment called CUORE at an underground laboratory in central Italy scrambled to keep the ultrasensitive experiment running and launch new tools and rules for remote operations.

There is currently a strong demand to replace organic liquid electrolytes used in conventional rechargeable batteries, with solid-state ionic conductors which will enable the batteries to be safer and have higher energy density.

The future looks bright for photonic integrated circuits (PICs) as they look destined for use in quantum computing and deep learning technologies. As PICs carry light signals rather than electrical signals, accurate control of their refractive properties is essential. Traditional techniques for programming photonic devices rely on exposure to light and heat. However, this leads to high power consumption and requires complex control circuits.

Astronomers have probed an ultra-diffuse galaxy (UDG) known as VCC 1287 with the Keck Cosmic Web Imager (KCWI) in order to investigate its nature. The new results provide essential information about the galaxy's mass and stellar kinematics. The study was presented in a paper published May 6 on arXiv.org.

Earth-based experiments on iron-sulfur alloys thought to comprise the core of Mars reveal details about the planet's seismic properties for the first time. This information will be compared to observations made by Martian space probes in the near future. Whether the results between experiment and observation coincide or not will either confirm existing theories about Mars' composition or call into question the story of its origin.

During a fly-by of Jupiter's moon Europa twenty years ago, NASA's space probe Galileo may have witnessed a plume of water. A group of scientists including researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research (MPS) in Germany have now found new evidence of this event. In computer simulations they strove to reproduce the data gathered by the onboard particle detector that was developed and built at MPS and in the U.S.. This was only successful under the assumption that a water plume was involved. With its crust of frozen water and subsurface ocean, Europa has environmental conditions that could be favorable for simple forms of life. Water plumes would offer future missions to Jupiter the possibility of coming into direct contact with the moon's water reservoir.

Astronomers at the University of Canterbury (UC) have found an incredibly rare new Super-Earth planet towards the centre of the galaxy. The planet is one of only a handful that have been discovered with both size and orbit comparable to that of Earth.

An international team of researchers, led by astronomers from the University of Amsterdam, has directly demonstrated the presence of iron in the atmosphere of an exoplanet for the first time. The researchers discovered emission lines of uncharged iron atoms in the light spectrum of KELT-9b. The observation was complicated as the exoplanet is outshined by its bright host star.

Currently crossing the skies above Earth, Comet C/2020 F8 (SWAN) has the potential to become a more prominent naked eye object by late May or early June. Yet it wasn't discovered by someone looking up at the night sky. Instead, the person was looking at a computer screen.

Not a spacesuit but a SCAPE suit—standing for "Self Contained Atmospheric Protective Ensemble." Technicians don these suits before filling satellites with the toxic hydrazine fuel used for maneuvers in space. This one was snapped by Portuguese photographer Edgar Martins at ESA's Spaceport in French Guiana.

Russian astrophysicists have come close to determining the origin of high-energy neutrinos from space. The team compared data on the elusive particles gathered by the Antarctic neutrino observatory IceCube and on long electromagnetic waves measured by radio telescopes. Cosmic neutrinos turned out to be linked to flares at the centers of distant active galaxies, which are believed to host supermassive black holes. As matter falls toward the black hole, some of it is accelerated and ejected into space, giving rise to neutrinos that then coast along through the universe at nearly the speed of light.

The rolling hills of Mars or the moon are a long way from the nearest tow truck. That's why the next generation of exploration rovers will need to be good at climbing hills covered with loose material and avoiding entrapment on soft granular surfaces.

Wind plants in the United States—especially the newest models—remain relatively efficient over time, with only a 13% drop in the plants' performance over 17 years, researchers at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory report in the May 13 issue of the journal Joule. Their study also suggests that a production tax credit provides an effective incentive to maintain the plants during the 10-year window in which they are eligible to receive it. When this tax credit window closes, wind plant performance drops.

Biomedical engineers at Duke University are developing a massive fluid dynamics simulator that can model blood flow through the full human arterial system at subcellular resolution. One of the goals of the effort is to provide doctors with guidance in their treatment plans by allowing them to simulate a patient's specific vasculature and accurately predict how decisions such as stent placement, conduit insertions and other geometric alterations to blood flow will affect surgical outcomes.

Bitcoin rose Wednesday after undergoing an eagerly awaited adjustment that occurs every few years to limit the amount of the virtual currency on the market, building on a recent coronavirus-driven rally.

As global temperatures and energy demand rise simultaneously, the search for sustainable fuel sources is more urgent than ever. But how can renewable energy possibly scale up to replace the vast quantities of oil and gas we consume?

In 2015 Francesco Greco, head of the Laboratory of Applied Materials for Printed and Soft electronics (LAMPSe) at the Institute of Solid State Physics at Graz University of Technology, developed so-called "tattoo electrodes" together with Italian scientists.

German carmaker Volkswagen will suspend production lines that have only just reopened after the lifting of coronavirus restrictions due to lower demand, according to an internal message seen by AFP on Wednesday.

As the world embraces a new post-pandemic reality, an Italian start-up has come up with a novel way to maintain social distancing: an electronic bracelet that informs users when they are too close to others.

Uber said Wednesday it was making face masks mandatory for drivers and passengers, as part of new health and safety protocols aiming to instill confidence in the ride-hailing service as people emerge from coronavirus lockdowns.

Facebook Inc. said it has removed 2.5 million posts since March 1 offering masks, sanitizers, cleaning wipes and COVID-19 test kits, in an attempt to prevent users from price-gouging or selling counterfeit and dangerous products.

The company that makes your iPhone charging cable and home router is joining in on the coronavirus fight. Belkin International has started making what it calls "low-cost" ventilators at manufacturing plants in Providence, Rhode Island.

US authorities warned Wednesday that Chinese hackers were attempting to steal coronavirus data on treatments and vaccines, adding fuel to Washington's war with Beijing over the pandemic.

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